Improvement in harvesters



H. KELLY. *Harvestet No. 2o2,269. Patented' April 9, 1878.

NEFETERS. PHDTO-PTHOGNAPMER. WASHINGYUN, D' C.

UNITED STATES HENRY KELLY,

IMPROVEMENT Specification forming part of Letters Patent No or OSAGE, IOWA.

IN HARVESTERS.

. 202369, dated April 9, 1878; application filed August 14, 1877.

To all 'whom 'it may concew:

Be it known that I, HENRY KELLY, of Osage, in thecounty of Mitchell and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowing-Machines, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

In the cutting apparatus I employ a fingerbeam, jointed at or near the middle of its length, in connection with a reciprocating cutter having a corresponding hinge or hinges, whereby the finger-beam and the reciprocating cutter may adapt themselves, as to their length, to the inequalities of the ground.

The joint of the cutter is double, and embraces one of the sickle-seetions, in order that the cutter and its bar may play back and forth through the fingers, while the finger-beam may have its two sections diverging from a straight line.

The sickle-sections are riveted to the sicklebar in the usual manner; but the section having the double hinge-joint is riveted to a link .connectin g the hinges of said double joint, and the sickle-bar is divided at points coincident with these double joints.

A front bar, secured to the guard-fingers, and forming the usual sickle-guide, is separated in line with the beamjoint, and the joint ends of the beam and of the guide-bar allow the divider end of the finger-beam to fall out of line with the heel-end section only a certain distance,'and they then abut against each other, and form stops.

The double h'nge of the sickle and the hinge of the beam are constructed to form stops to allow only a certain degree of upward fieXure of the divider end of the beam, and prevent it from being turned over entirely and breaking the joints.

The fixed and reciprocatin g parts of the cutting apparatus, adapted for fiexure lengthwise, are also adapted for adjustnent crosswise, to raise and lower the points of the fingers.

I use a front-cut apparatus hinged at its heel to a coupling-bar,pivoted to the outer front end of the frame. A brace or push bar, pivoted to the rear of the frame, encircles the coupling bar, near its connection with the shoe, by means of a ring-termination, the cylindrcal hearing for which is formed by an upper and lower casting secured to the coupling-bar, whereby the oscillation of the cutting apparatus is permitted, while obtaining a strong and durable brace-bar connection.

The upper one of p the two castings mentioned serves as the pivot-support of a lever, which acts upon a heel-projection of the finger-beam for elevating the outer end of said beam by means of a Cham-connection with a ratchet-segnent andhand-lever. This casting also has an upper slotted termination, into which plays the front end of a rod, whose rear end is a hand-lever pivoted to the rear inner corner of the frame, and by this slotted connection the points of the guard-fingers are not only elevated, but freedom is allowed for said finger-points to rise when they meet an obstruction, so that the cuttin g appara-tus has a fleXible adjustment in every direction to accommodate itself to the surface of the ground.

The jointed finger-beam has upper and lower anti-frction rolls arranged in connection with a reciprocating jointed sickle in such manner as to hold said sickle to its guide, and to render its movements easy.

The siclrle pitman-head connection with the crankshaft consists of a strap, which carries the cranlr-box, and embraces rubber cushions arranged on opposite sides of a collar on said pitman, whereby the pitman -boX holds the springs in place in such. manner as to relieve the blow or jarring while the sickle is changing motion and stopping and starting. In this particular construction the pitman passes only into the strap-head through a guide, and is secured by its collar between the springs.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a top view of a mowing-machine embracing my invention; Fig. 2, a front-edge View of the sickle fieXed, and showing its double hinge-joint, its divided sickle-bar, and one of the sickle-sections free of said bar at its division-points; Fig. 3, thej ointed finger-beam, showing it also flexed Fig. 4, a detail. of the under side of the finger-beam and sickle at the joints thereof; Fig. 5, a detail of the fin ger-beam and coupling-bar connection, the de Vice for lifting the outer end of the finger beam, and the brace-ring connection with said 'points by oscillating the finger-beam.

bar; Fig. 6, a detail of the brace-ring connection with the coupling-bar and of the slotted device for oscllating the finger-beam; Fig. 7,-

a View of the pitman-head crank-connecton; Fig. 8, a detail of the pitman-sickle attachment; Fig. 9, the adjustable foot-rest of the driver s seat; and Fig. 10, a detail of the ratchet-connection with the lifting-lever.

The frame carries the tongue and the driver s seat, and the axle turns with the wheels and operates the sickle by the gearing and crank-shaft, as shown in the drawings. These parts may, however, be constructed and arranged in any suitable manner.

The cuttin g apparatus is carried at the front of the frame by a coupling-bar, A, hinged at the shoe B, and to the outer corner of the frame by a joint, O, admitting of two movements of said bar. A brace-bar, D, pivoted to the rear inner corner of the frame, embraees a cylindrical bearin g on the couplin g-bar by a ring-termination, D', in a manner to be presently described, and by which said coupling-bar and the fin ger-bea1n E may rise and fall and oscillate to raise and lower the points of the fingers.

The shoe and the fin ger-beam are connected in such manner that a rearward extension, F, of the shoe abuts against the under side of the conpling-bar to limit the descent of the finger-beam, and to receive the action of a pivoted lever, G, by which to elevate the divider end of the finger-beam.

The cylindrical beariu g for the ring end D' of the brace-bar is formed by two castings, H I, bolted to the upper and lower sides of the coupling-bar. An extension, J, rses from the -upper casting H, and in it is the pivot a of the lever Gr, whose downwardly-curved end abuts upon the upwardly-curved extension F of the shoe. Above the pivot a the extension J has 'a cross-slot, b, (shown in Fig. 6,) into which plays the bent end of a rod, K, which extends back, and is jointed to a handlever, L, pivoted to the rear inner corner of the frame,and fitted to be moved in a rackguide risin g from the frame, and by this lever the driver raises and lowers the guard-finger The 'slot I gives freedom for the points of the fingers to rise and to conform to the inequalities of the surface of the ground independent of the hand-lever rack-connection. The bracebar serves to hold and push the cutting apparatus along, and its' ring-terminaton is held in place against the inner side of the slotted extension and by a collar, d',forn1ed on the under side of the lower part of the cylindrical bearing and the side of the extension J, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The inner end of the pivoted lever G is connected by a chain, c, to the lower end of a quadrant-lever, M, pvoted to a standard of the frame, and provided with a rack and springdog, N. (Shown in Fig. 10.) By this device the lever Gr is forced down upon the Shoe-extenson to elevate the dvider end of the finger beam and to hold it in such position. As the coupling-bar carries the pivoted lever G, it has a slot (shown in Fig. 5) to allow the acting end of said lever to press upon the Shoe-extension and to hold said lever to its action.

The finger-beam has a hinge-joint, O, at or near the middle of its length, and the reciprocating sckle or cutter P has a corresponding hinge -joint formed by a double hinge, Q It, the connecting-bar d of which carries one of the sickle sections, as shown in Fig. 2, while the other sickle-sections are riveted to the usual sickle-bar e, Fig. 4, so that the sickle and its bar are separated at points on each side of one of the cutters.

The siekle-bar e plays in a guide formed by the front edge of the finger-beam and a bar, f, Secured to the guard-fingers, and this bar f, when made continuous, is separated at a point coincident with the hinge-joint of the fingerbeam, as shown in Fig. 4. The abuttin g ends of the finger-bean joint and of the guide bar f are adapted to allow a certain degree of downward fiexure to the outer end of the finger-bean and relieve the hinges of undue strain, while the knuckles of the hinges are provided with stops g, to allow of a certain degree of upward fiexure to the divider end of the finger-beam, but prevent it from being turned entirely over and breaking the hin ges. So, also, are theknuckles of the double sickl e hin ge provided with stops h for the same purpose. In this way I combine a reciprocatin g sickle with a finger-beam hinged at or near the middle of its length, and thus obtain the advantage of a flexing cutting apparatus adapted to conform lengthwise -to the surface of the ground, while such apparatus has also the capacity to turn or oscillate to elevate and depress the points of its guards.

To the upper and lower sides of the fingerbeam I attach small rolls i, to hold the cutter in its guide and to reduce its fricton. For this purpose they project over the cutter at the top and extend beneath the sickle-bar at the bottom.

The sickle-pitman S is attached to the crankshaft T by means of a bent strap, U, which carries the crank-box V, and between the box and the inner end of -the strap are placed two springs, W, while the pitman passing through a guide in the end of the strap beyond the junction of the springs has a collar, j, inter posed between said springs, so that the thrusts of the pitman by its collar are upon and are relieved by the springs, thus avoidng the sudden jars in changing centers and in starting and stopping. v

The crank-box is held in place by nuts k on the open ends of the strap, and the springs are held in place by the box and closed end of the strap, making it very convenient to fit and adjust the box and the springs.

The sickle end of the pi tman is made taper ing, and a soft brass thimble, l, is driven onto it, but not quite up, and as it wears away it is driven up onto the tapered pin of the sickle,

so that it will always fit the sickle-eye and form a close joint.

The standard of the driver s seat has footrests X X' one of which, X', is pivoted so as to be turned up out of the way, to allow the cover (not shown) for the gearing to be removed when desired.

The sickle-bar is raised up out of the way in going to and from the field, and when so raised it may be supported and held by a rod from the top of the standard to which the lifting-lever is pivoted.

I claim- 1. A reciprocating sickle or cutter for mowing-machines, having a double hinge at or near the middle of its length, the sicklesection between said hinges being separated from the other sections and Secured to the connecting-bar of said double hinge, for the purpose stated.

2. The ring-termination D' of the push-bar D, in combination with the cylindrioal bearin gs H I of the ooupling-bar, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the coupling-bar, of the castings upon the opposite sides, forming a cylindrical hearing, the ring-end bracebar, and the lever pivoted to and passing through the upper casting, as herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the couplingbar provided with the castings H I, the cutting apparatus, and the ring-end brace-bar, of the slotted extension J on the coupling-bar and the hand-lever connectin g-rod K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The lever G, pivoted upon the couplingbar, having one end passing through a slot therein, and the other through a slot in the casting H thereon, in combination .With the shoe-extension F and the lifting deviee for lifting the divider end of the finger-beam, as set forth.

6. The ring-termination D of the brace, in combination with the cylindrical hearing around the coupling-bar, the collar d' of the' lower casting, and the upward extension J of the top casting, whereby the ring-termination is held upon its bearing.

7. A mowing-machine having a cutting apparatus hin ge-jointed at or near the middle of its length, a coupling-bar hinged to the shoe and to the frame, as described, a slotted eX- tension, J, of the deviee for oscillating the finger-beam, and a swiveling pitman, whereby the cutting apparatu's may adjust itself at either end and oscillate to elevate or depress the points of its guard-fingers.

HENRY KELLY.

Witnesses:

J. E. B. MORGAN, CHAS. E. SCHURTZ. 

